McCain picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as veep

DAYTON, Ohio — Flashing his maverick reputation and making Republican history along the way, Sen. John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate today.

The surprising move, a closely guarded secret nearly to the start of a noon rally before 12,000 supporters in a basketball arena in the crucial swing state of Ohio, dramatically steps up McCain's efforts to pull disaffected supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton into his campaign.

The pick adds yet another historic element to a race that has already defied convention and broken barriers.

Known as a reform-minded conservative who has bucked the oil interests in her state, Palin brings an outside-the-beltway presence to the presidential race. She may also keep Sen. Barack Obama battling to preserve the women's vote, a crucial bloc especially for Democrats.
"She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old politics of me first and country second," McCain said.

McCain gave no hint of his selection's gender as he rattled off bits of her biography, referring to "this person."
When McCain made clear his choice is a woman, startled women in the Nutter Center crowd threw their hands in the air and screamed their approval. One woman's mouth fell open, another shook her head in amazement.

McCain, who turned 72 today, also injects relative youth to the ticket by adding the 44-year-old governor.

Palin is the second woman to serve as a vice presidential nominee. In 1984, then-Vice President Walter Mondale named Geraldine Ferraro his running mate against President Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush. The Democrats lost 49 states in a race considered out of reach against a popular incumbent.
Palin pointedly paid tribute to Ferraro and Clinton.

"It turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling," Palin said drawing thunderous applause.

It was widely believed that McCain had been considering former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Both men may have brought strengths to the ticket, but each also had limited appeal.

In choosing Palin over former Romney, McCain effectively heads off a battle on conservative credentials that would have inevitably trailed Romney to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., next week. Romney upheld abortion rights and spoke in favor of gay rights earlier in his career.

Pawlenty, 47, is considered a rising star in GOP circles but one who has yet to forge a national identity. He may have helped Republicans in Minnesota, but might have undermined McCain's attacks on Obama's readiness.